A Taste of Africa

Ask a random dude in line at a downtown Oakland club where Malong Pendar happens to be slinging plates of fried tilapia and fragrant jollof rice, and there's a decent chance he'll tell you this: that Pendar makes some of the most delicious food you'll find anywhere in the East Bay. Now that the popular West African pop-up has a permanent brick-and-mortar home in East Oakland, there's a fixed location where customers can snag Pendar's signature combination plate: a spread of five or six vegetable side dishes that might include toothsome black-eyed peas, fried plantains, sautéed collard greens, gingery mashed yams, and, on top of everything, a big scoop of ndole — a peanut-spinach vegetable slurry that is Cameroon's national dish. Add an optional meat of your choice (the delicate prawns are especially great) and, if you're feeling brave, some of Pendar's deadly and delicious habanero hot sauce. Hours can be spotty, so call ahead to be safe.